If he let the government drag him away in chains, the world would learn that hope is useless. The world would learn that cold, emotionless machines always win. They would accept Director Smith as their new, cruel king. They would accept living in a world without a soul."I won't... let you win," Jayden whispered.He did not use magic. He used something much older, and much stronger. He used pure, stubborn human will.Jayden ignored the shattered fingers under the grey boot. He ignored the severed tendon in his knee. He ignored the ruined elbow.With a roar of absolute, raw human defiance, Jayden twisted his body violently.He did not try to pull his hand free. He used his pinned hand as a pivot point. He swung his good right leg around, sweeping it hard across the wet bricks. He kicked the Executor’s other leg out from under it.The Executor’s predictive computer had calculated that a man with these injuries would have a 0% chance of attacking. The computer was wrong. Computers do n

The Immortality Lock tried to trigger. Deep inside Jayden’s chest, a tiny spark of golden light flickered. The magic recognized that the host was dying. The magic rushed to the broken spine. It rushed to the collapsed lung. But the magic crashed into a wall of poison.The Executors used phase-anchored blades. The titanium swords were designed specifically to fight the Prime Administrator. The blades left behind a thick, buzzing, grey static inside the wounds.When the golden healing light hit the grey static, the magic slowed down to a crawl. It was like trying to push a heavy rock through thick, freezing mud.The Immortality Lock was severely delayed. It was completely suppressed. It could not heal the spine. It could not fix the lung. It could not numb the pain.Because the magic could not block the pain, every single ounce of the agony flooded directly into Jayden’s conscious mind."AAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!" Jayden screamed. It was a horrible, broken, wet sound.His body jerked on the

Mr. Vance dragged Jayden by the collar of his torn grey coat. The Devourer smiled politely. He walked toward the giant, black glass tower in the center of the city. He wanted to take Jayden down into the dark basement. He wanted to eat Jayden’s soul next to the sleeping Core. But suddenly, the dark street lit up.BZZZZZ!Massive, blinding white spotlights shot down from the sky. They came from the giant black military warship hovering above the city. The lights were so bright they turned the dark, rainy night into pure white daylight.Mr. Vance stopped walking. He dropped Jayden onto the wet street. The Devourer looked up. His silver, mercury eyes narrowed.From the belly of the giant warship, thick black ropes dropped down.Dozens of Executors slid down the ropes. They hit the wet pavement without making a single sound. They wore their sleek, light-absorbing grey suits. Their featureless, blank grey helmets looked like smooth stones.Following the Executors were dozens of small, b

The five Executors took a step backward. They stood in a perfect, straight line. They lowered their tools. They looked at their work.“TARGET DISMANTLED,” the silent network confirmed. “THREAT NEUTRALIZED.”High above, Director Smith spoke into his microphone. He sounded incredibly proud."The threat is over, citizens," Director Smith announced to the world. "The Infinite Catalyst has been turned off. The magic will soon fade from the earth. The Executors will bring him to our secure facility. You are safe now. Return to your normal lives."The camera drones stopped circling. They hovered in place, getting ready to turn off the broadcast.The extraction dropship began to lower its heavy metal cargo box down on thick steel cables. The box was waiting to swallow Jayden’s broken body. But down in the shadows of the plaza, Mr. Vance stepped forward.The Devourer walked out of the dark alley. His shiny leather shoes splashed lightly in the rain puddles. He walked up to the edge of the con

Inside Jayden’s mind, everything was dark. His human soul was trapped. He was locked in a tiny, black box deep inside his own brain. He could not control his arms. He could not feel the rain. He just watched the world through his pitch-black eyes, like a prisoner looking out of a window.Suddenly, the white noise hit the black box. It was absolute, terrifying agony. It did not hurt his flesh. It hurt his memories.The Identity Fragmentation Pulse acted like a digital eraser. It began to delete who he was.Who are you? a cold, robotic voice asked in the white noise."I am Jayden," his soul whispered in the dark.“Deleting file: Jayden,” the voice answered.A sharp pain ripped through his mind. Suddenly, he could not remember how to spell his own name. He forgot the sound of his own voice.“Who do you love?” the voice asked.He thought of a little girl in a pink winter coat. A little girl named Lily, holding a green healing light in the snow.“Deleting file: Lily,” the voice said.The p